Gold Coast, 24th July 2023 – Gold Coast Innovation Hub, a leading startup incubator on the Gold Coast, is proud to announce its partnership with onMarket, a renowned equity crowdfunding platform. Together they will deliver the highly anticipated Battle of the Founders event in the region. This groundbreaking initiative is made possible through the generous support of Advance Queensland, which will fund up to six regional founders to showcase their innovations at the final pitch event.
Battle of the Founders is a dynamic competition that brings together some of the most promising entrepreneurs and innovators from across Queensland. The series of workshops and pitch event aim to educate Queensland founders on Crowd-sourced funding (CSF) and provide a platform for those that are suited to this type of investment to pitch their groundbreaking ideas and technologies to a distinguished panel of judges, investors, and industry leaders. With this partnership, Gold Coast Innovation Hub and onMarket seek to foster the growth of Queensland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and offer a unique opportunity for regional founders to gain exposure and funding for their ventures.
The collaboration between Gold Coast Innovation Hub and onMarket represents a fusion of expertise and resources in the field of innovation and investment. Gold Coast Innovation Hub has established itself as a leading global hub for startups and entrepreneurs, providing a supportive environment and access to a wide range of resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities. onMarket, have a proven track record of facilitating CSF investments into early-stage, private companies, enabling retail, high-net-worth, and sophisticated investors participate in their growth journey.
The finalists will have the chance to present their ideas at the final pitch event on the 14th September where three finalists will receive prizes, including the opportunity to raise capital via CSF with OnMarket.
Advance Queensland’s contribution to the event is instrumental in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in regional areas. The funding provided by Advance Queensland will enable up to six regional founders to participate in the Battle of the Founders final pitch event at the Precinct in Brisbane, ensuring that the talent and creativity from across Queensland are recognised and given the opportunity to thrive.
“We are thrilled to partner with onMarket and receive the support of Advance Queensland for the Battle of the Founders event,” said Sharon Hunneybell, CEO of Gold Coast Innovation Hub. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to fostering innovation in regional and remote Queensland and providing a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their groundbreaking ideas. We are excited to welcome regional founders to the competition and offer them an opportunity to connect with potential investors and gain valuable exposure.”
Tim Eisenhauer, CEO of onMarket, added, “The Battle of the Founders event aligns perfectly with our mission to connect innovative startups with investors. Our inaugural event in Sydney last year was a huge success and we are honoured to partner with Gold Coast Innovation Hub to explore the extraordinary talent that Queensland has to offer. We believe this collaboration will not only showcase remarkable ideas but also provide a catalyst for economic growth and technological advancement.”
The Battle of the Founders is delivered across 3 stages:
Introduction to Crowdfunding, 27 July 2023
Pitch Workshop: Pitch & Messaging Refinement, 3 August 2023
Pitch Night: Battle of the Founders, 14 September 2023
For more information and to apply for participation, please visit https://www.crowd.onmarket.com.au/battle-of-the-founders-qld.
About the Gold Coast Innovation Hub:
The Gold Coast Innovation Hub (GC Hub) is a not-for-profit organisation launched in 2017 with the support of the Queensland Government, City of Gold Coast, and over 20 corporate partners committed to driving a new digital economy on the Gold Coast and across Australia.
The GC Hub designs and delivers a suite of programs and activities to support Gold Coast businesses, technologists, and innovators and to attract new digital business to the city. It drives connections between industry and government and operates a business incubator designed by innovators, for innovators where startups and scale-ups can connect, collaborate, grow, raise investment, and expand into global markets.
Learn more at: www.gchub.com.au
About onMarket:
OnMarket is Australia’s largest equity raising platform. OnMarket has raised more funds for more small-to-medium sized businesses from more investors than any other platform in Australia.
Combined, the OnMarket team has over 140 years of experience in the Australian capital raising market. We know that raising capital can be a difficult process, particularly for early stage and/or smaller companies. We work to make raising equity efficient, simple and transparent for both companies and investors.
Learn more at: https://www.onmarket.com.au
About Advance Queensland:
Advance Queensland was launched in 2015 and is a whole-of-innovation ecosystem initiative which supports the creation, scale up and international success of Queensland scientists, researchers, innovators and businesses.
Learn more at: https://advance.qld.gov.au
